On the Other Side of Reality
by Trag Black
Summary: I added a sad little note at the end of this. PLEASE READ IF YOU HAVE READ THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX ONLY!! SPOILERS!!
1. The Door

On The Other Side of Reality  
  
Chapter One: The Door  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
  
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I don't know why it happened to me. Many others are out there doing it, but only I can actually achieve the ultimate dream of the written word.  
  
My name is Amelia.  
  
What have I done? I have made it through the chasm of reality and make- believe. I have made fact from fiction.  
  
How did I do it? I wrote.  
  
I discovered about a year ago that writing could take you to places better than reading could, and I believed that if you mastered the art of words you could make them into portals that lead to those beautiful, private places. I wrote more and more, all the while thinking of this ludicrous dream.  
  
I discovered fanfiction and Harry Potter. I had a bond with these characters better than that of my own family. I needed to be with them. Especially Sirius Black, whose pain and suffering led me to fall deep in love with him.  
  
One day, I could stand the longing no more. The pain of being a writer was so intense that I cried for hours, trying to think of something to write. I looked at the paper, and let my tears fall upon it, praying for an idea. That's what did it.  
  
I began to fall. Darkness and light passed me. I thought I had died.  
  
How very alive I was. 


	2. Flight and Water

On the Other Side of Reality  
  
Chapter Two: Flight and Water  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
  
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Before I describe to you where I had ended up, I want you to know that it was not Hogwarts. My minds eye had created a nice cottage on a cliff by the ocean in Ireland. That is where I decided I would live with the characters I loved so much.  
  
The scenario in my past fanfictions was that I lived in that cottage while attending a muggle college. I was secretly aware that I had some special gift of transformation. The name for me in the wizarding world is Animagi, or someone who can willingly transform into an animal. I could be a hawk at will.  
  
Anyway, as I was falling, I didn't really know what was happening to me. I said before that I thought I was dying.  
  
The truth was that I had fallen into my imagination through writing (which, I later discovered, is a special kind of portal that man has tried to master for centuries). I was falling into my dream world.  
  
I felt my body changing all around me. I was no longer floating, but gliding. I had wings and feathers.  
  
My next thought was that I was dreaming, and I was rather excited at the thought of experiencing a lucid dream (I had tried to for some time, but it is not the most efficient kind of portal). I still had doubt, though, because I could sense my body. I was breathing and feeling. My body was alive and awake.  
  
Maybe.just maybe I had made it through. I shook this thought from my mind, but there was no other explanation as I descended to find the cliff and the familiar blue cottage. Descending still, I looked upon the ocean and saw a pod of orca whales swimming below the cliff. Orcas are my favorite animal, and I always found a place for them in my stories. In them I could interact with the whales. Did I dare let myself fall into the water with these awesome creatures? Hell, yes.  
  
I transformed back into a human being and let myself fall into the shockingly cold water. They noticed me instantly, but did not attack as I mildly expected them to. They just continued to swim and play with each other. I was a part of their group. It was beautiful.  
  
One calf nudged my feet and surfaced behind me, blowing a spout of mist in my hair. I turned and reached out my hand. It rose to touch it with its nose. His mother came and swam alongside me and dived, out of sight. She appeared behind me but still below the water. I tried to touch her with my feet and she pushed them. I gave a joyous cry. She pushed me faster and faster through the water, her calf following alongside us.  
  
She stopped and dived again. Curious, I went beneath the water too and, despite the stinging of saltwater, opened my eyes. I could see the whales in the murky water, nudging and loving each other. The big mother came up fast beneath me and pushed me high out of the water. I turned back into a hawk as she fell to the water, creating a huge splash.  
  
I flew up to the top of the cliff, transformed, and stared at the beautiful reality that surrounded me. I kissed the ground and cried in ecstasy. I was soaking wet, and I was home. 


	3. Home

On the Other Side of Reality  
  
Chapter Three: Home  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
  
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Soaking wet and cold, I stood up and prepared my mind to see my greatest longings (It's really weird telling yourself not to scream and faint). I looked around the field that was my backyard. It was just how I always imagined it. There was a huge willow tree on the cliff's edge, and the grass was tall and soft. I thought about how much took place in this yard during my stories, and I wondered if it would all really happen. This thought scared me a little.  
  
As I approached the cottage, I noticed the little back door that I always entered and left the field through. I climbed the three steps to the door and anxiously turned the doorknob. It was locked.  
  
Frantically, I racked my mind trying to remember where I hid the house key, but my body was ahead of me. I literally watched myself reach down and move a loose floorboard. On a chain within, was my key.  
  
I laughed a little as I turned the key in the lock and opened the door. It was then that I gasped. It really was my home.  
  
Things that I never really owned I recognized as mine. I ran through every room.  
  
In the study my diploma hung on the wall. I was a graduate from Dublin City University.  
  
In the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and saw that I was no longer fifteen, but twenty-three.  
  
In my bedroom, I saw pictures of friends that I never really had, but knew and loved anyway.  
  
The kitchen was cozy and blue, with food all in the cupboards that had little seashell knobs.  
  
The living room had big, cozy, fat, blue couches. One was directly in front of a roaring fireplace. I then noticed how cold I was.  
  
I took a hot shower and put on some fresh clothes that I found in my closet. I jumped onto my warm, cozy bed (with red covers) and fell into content sleep. 


	4. An Expected Guest

On the Other Side of Reality  
  
Chapter Four: An Expected Guest  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
  
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I awoke suddenly to hear noises in coming from my living room. I had forgotten to lock the door. My joy was replaced by fear. I looked at the clock: It read 12:05 am.  
  
I got up silently and grabbed the vase that was on my bedside table. Thankfully, it had no flowers or water within.  
  
I crept down the hallway and heard a man's voice, "There is a way, all you need is a simple spell..."  
  
Could it be? There was only one way to find out.  
  
I jumped from inside the hallway, and saw Sirius Black sitting in front of my fire.  
  
"Oh my God! It's you, isn't it?" I screamed in half ecstasy, half fear, dropping the vase (Luckily it landed on the couch in front of me, so it didn't break.  
  
He realized that I wasn't all that scared of him, so he didn't flee.  
  
"Excuse me?" he said.  
  
He didn't know who I was, so I tried to act like I didn't know him.  
  
"I mean, who are you and what are you doing in my house?" that sounded a bit more authentic.  
  
"You're not a witch?" he asked.  
  
"No, I'm just a muggle," Oops!  
  
He approached me with a puzzled look on his face. "You say you're not a witch, but you know what a muggle is. You have to be hiding something because I can tell a wizarding house a mile off."  
  
He was very smart in real life, and I panicked. Dare I tell him the truth?  
  
"Okay, fine... I can..."  
  
I couldn't put what I wanted into words, so I just transformed in front of him.  
  
He didn't look the least bit surprised when I flew around the room.  
  
"So you are a witch," he said, once I was back on the ground.  
  
"No, actually I'm not," I said. He didn't look like he believed me.  
  
"I swear I'm not," I tried to assure him.  
  
He looked me up and down. "Maybe you're not," he said at last, looking relieved. "You didn't scream in terror when you saw me."  
  
"Should I have?" I was still playing the innocent.  
  
"Never mind," he said.  
  
Let me explain to you the pressure I was under. I had walked in on him during the scene of "The Goblet of Fire" when Sirius is helping Harry with the horntail. I was having trouble between telling him the truth or pretending I was a clueless muggle. I had already shown him that I was an animagi, but he obviously thought that I was a squib of some kind.  
  
"You don't look so good," I said, after a long silence. He looked a lot less handsome in real life than he did in my mind. "It's late. Would you like to stay a while? Have something to eat?" It was hard not to feel sorry for him, knowing what he'd been through.  
  
He gave me an odd look. "You really aren't a witch, are you? You must be some kind of animagi squib. You obviously know about our world, because you aren't surprised at hearing about it."  
  
"That's true, I do know about your world. I know you're a wizard, because you were talking through my fireplace." I giggled a little. It sounded pretty funny coming from me.  
  
He smiled. "Well I couldn't stay, I don't want to disturb you. You don't even know who I am."  
  
"Tell me your name then," I said. I wanted to hear it so badly.  
  
"I am...er... James, James Potter," he said.  
  
That was not the name I wanted to hear. I guessed he was trying to cover up for himself. I knew I couldn't reveal too much to him about who I really was, so I didn't argue with him.  
  
"Well, James, I'm Amelia Hippert. Nice to meet you."  
  
"You're an American, then?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," I replied, smiling. "You can stay, now that we know each other."  
  
He smiled back. "Allright then, if you don't mind. I'm only staying for one night though," he said.  
  
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I had no idea what to cook for him, so I told him to take a shower while I rummaged through some cookbooks that I had. I found one that involved chicken and rice, and I remembered that he liked chicken from The Goblet of Fire.  
  
I had some chicken in the freezer, so I put it in some hot water to thaw. While I waited for it to be ready to cook, I put his clothes in the washer so they'd be clean when he was out. They were very dirty.  
  
"James" was taking an unusually long shower, as I expected, so everything was done when he came out. He smelled the chicken from the hallway..  
  
"You like?" I asked.  
  
He smiled again. It made him look very handsome. Even more so, now that he was clean. "Thank you," he said.  
  
"It's nothing," I said with a laugh.  
  
"It's more of a something than you'll ever know," he replied. 


	5. Buckbeak

On the Other Side of Reality  
  
Chapter Five: Buckbeak  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
  
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I motioned for Sirius (who, if you'll remember, told me that his name was James) to sit at the table, and I put a plate of food in front of him.  
  
He ate ravenously. It wasn't the most pleasant thing to watch. I just had to keep reminding myself that he was literally starving.  
  
"Where did you come from?" I asked.  
  
"Well," he said, trying to finish a mouthful. He looked very thoughtful. "I can safely say I've been all over."  
  
Now I knew what he was talking about, but I figured that if I didn't ask him any questions, I would become very boring. "What do you mean, 'all over?'"  
  
"Just everywhere," he replied.  
  
This was pretty self-explanatory, but I wanted to play with him a little. "Now how did you manage that?" I asked.  
  
He looked up, a spark in his dead eyes. "Would you like me to show you?"  
  
I smiled back at him. I knew what was coming. "Okay."  
  
He took the few bones that he had not completely raped and pocketed them. He then stood up from the table and took his plate to the sink.  
  
I watched him curiously as he moved toward my beloved back door and made a "follow me" motion. I did.  
  
We walked out into the yard and in the direction of the willow tree. Sirius then stopped below it and whistled. Buckbeak came fluttering down.  
  
"Wow." I gasped in amazement. The animal was very impressive. He was beautiful.  
  
"Do you know what this is?" He asked.  
  
"Of course I do," I said, trying to sound like I run into these things every day. "It's a hippogriff."  
  
"Have you ever ridden one?"  
  
"Uhh.well, not exactly," I replied. It was getting scarier.  
  
"Well, let's have a go, shall we?" BOOM! There goes my stomach.  
  
"I don't.I don't think so," I said, backing away slowly. "Think I would like to keep my.Whoa!"  
  
Sirius had picked me up and sat me directly on the hippogriff, who didn't like it very much (I never bowed).  
  
"Sorry, old boy, she means no harm," he said, throwing Buckbeak a bone.  
  
He bowed and took his seat in front of me. "Hold on tight," he said.  
  
I quickly wrapped my hands around his thin waist and closed my eyes. I felt wind rushing down on me. I chanced a look down.  
  
"Oh no!" Bad idea. I couldn't even make out the ocean. All I could see were the stars against the night sky.  
  
"Nice view isn't it?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Are we still on earth?" I asked nervously.  
  
He gave a deep hearty laugh. I didn't know he had it in him. I liked it. "Yes," he said. "We're still on earth. I'll pull down a bit."  
  
Thankfully, he brought Buckbeak down so I could make out the landscape. Sort-of.  
  
Amazingly, he was able to turn around on Buckbeak and sit facing me. "Fun, huh?" He asked.  
  
I could only nod. I was concentrating on not falling off because I couldn't hold on to Sirius.  
  
"Just let go," he said, taking my hand from the side of Buckbeak. The touch of his hand made feel warm all over.  
  
I let go. Amazingly I didn't fall. I guessed that Buckbeak was flying smoothly, but I had an idea that Sirius was helping somehow.  
  
"You know, if you fall off you can just transform," he said.  
  
I hadn't thought of that. This brought relief over me.  
  
"You're an animagi, but you're a squib," he thought aloud. "Interesting." He decided to change the subject. "Have you lived in Ireland long?"  
  
This question made me laugh.  
  
"What's so funny?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing (laugh). No, I haven't" I replied.  
  
He merely looked at me. It was penetrating. I tried to look away, but failed.  
  
It was then that something happened between us. It was hard to decide exactly.  
  
We descended slowly. Sirius was facing front again, and we didn't talk much on the way down.  
  
But I was very, very happy. 


	6. Sweet Dreams

On the Other Side of Reality Chapter Six- Sweet Dreams  
  
Disclaimer: I don't, for the last time, own Harry Potter, Sirius Black and the like.  
  
A/N: I am so glad to continue this story. I had stopped because of a very depressing and sudden lack of confidence in my work (and love-life), but I'm proud to say that I'm over it. Your reviews have helped A LOT!  
  
*(~)*  
  
We walked slowly across the field of tall grass towards the bright light through the back-door window. I unlocked the door, allowed Sirius.James to pass through, and closed the door behind me as I entered myself.  
  
Once inside, I walked down the hallway to my linen closet where I found some blankets and a pillow. Re-entering the living room, I tossed them at Sirius, who held them as I turned the couch into a bed. The silence was discomforting. It was as if I had told him a secret that I shouldn't have. Even though I hadn't', I was afraid that the look we exchanged while riding Buckbeak gave him mixed signals. I KNEW he had felt something. The question was, was what he felt good.or bad?  
  
I admitted to myself that I wasn't quite sure how I felt about him now. I thought that I was in love with him when he wasn't REAL to me. Now he was VERY real, and it intimidated me. I quickly wiped a tear from my eye before it had the chance to betray me.  
  
When he saw that I was done with the couch, he started to lay down the sheets. It was interesting to think that Sirius Black still knew how to properly dress a bed. I watched him, arms crossed, until he was done.  
  
"Well." I sighed, "See you in the morning." I turned abruptly to my room.  
  
"Sweet dreams," I heard him call.  
  
I didn't reply. The tears came more forcefully, and I couldn't hold them back. Everything that I had hoped for as I wrote my stories was coming true. The love that I prayed for was coming into light. And yet.. Did I really want it? Was I this afraid of my heart's longings? Was I beginning to fall in love with someone whom I wasn't sure I could be with forever? How could I ever tell him where I really came from?  
  
The questions tortured me into a "sweet dreamless" sleep.  
  
*(~)*  
  
I awoke to the feel of hot breath on my face, and I nearly screamed at the sight of a huge, ebony dog, staring into my eyes. I knew instantly his intention. I slipped out of my bed and changed into a hawk. I rode his back through the house and out the door, which he turned with a skillful paw.  
  
I took flight, teasing him with my dives and diversions. I flew off a little way, indicating him to follow me. My heart danced at the thought of showing him what I was leading him to, down the cliff to the pod of whales. I knew all too well in my experience here by paper and ink that it was their mating night, and who better to celebrate with than the man of my dreams.literally.  
  
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A/N I Promise to continue later! Please read what I've got so far! 


	7. In Memorium

On the Other Side of Reality  
  
Chapter 7: In Memorium  
  
I really would have liked to write more of this story, but I found that I just had too much on my mind. Now I regret it deeply because I fear I may never be able to write about Sirius Black again...seeing that he's...dead. My worst fears have been confirmed. The man that I loved, in a very emotional way, is dead. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it again... It would go against reality. Something that I NEVER approve of. Weird huh? Reading Sirius' death was very hard for me, and the moments leading up to it gave me such a bad stomach ache that I had to take some Mylanta. I knew he was going to die by chapter 31. It is awful for me to think that I'll never be able to imagine him standing by my side when I'm lonely or bored...or just wanting someone to talk to. The funny thing is, I didn't even cry, but I expected I would. I'll probably cry when the full reality has set in. It still hasn't. I am in denial. When the truth pops up at me, It give me that stomach ache again and I think that the rest of the books will not involve the character who made it so fun for me. It's also wierd that book five is now my favorite. I still go over his death despairingly by reading it.   
  
The Order of the Phoenix was the most brilliant book I have ever read. It really made me feel the intense atmosphere. Right now my friend can't pull her eyes off of it (she's borrowing my copy).   
  
It sums up this entire note by saying, "I still can't believe that he's gone." I'm sure many of us feel strangely as if we have lost a dear friend. IF ONLY HARRY HAD OPENED THE STUPID MIRROR!!!!!!!!!!!! 


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